The Last Hour
by PearlQ19
Summary: Nick and Kate are trapped in a cave and have to spend the night there. It's cold, it's dark, and Kate is injured... 'shippers only! More info inside. Please RR!
1. 10:37 pm

A/N: Better late than never... Here comes at last another SU2-FanFic. I've been thinking about writing my own SU2-Story for quite a while, but I never quite got around to it (though I have another one already plotted in my head, but it's gonna take some time to write it all down). The idea of this fic suddenly just crossed my mind while I was reading all the other stories here. It's not gonna be long, and it's for 'shippers only *g* Nick and Kate may be a little out of character, but that's for the sake of romance! Some parts of this story remind of another story here (forgot the author, sorry, but it's a great one!) called "Fall Into Me". Please believe me - I only discovered it when I had this one already completed in my head. It's purely coincidental that they're a little similar! The reason why I'm coming up with this so late is that I live in Germany - they first showed the show on TV this summer, so I simply haven't known it for so long. Speaking of Germany - as always, you're welcome to tell me if you spot any grammar/spelling/vocabulary mistakes. And PLEASE send reviews! I just hope that someone's actually still looking for new SU2-fic.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Special Unit 2, nor do I in any way take profit out of this story (apart from a higher self esteem in case you guys like it). I'm just borrowing Nick and Kate to make them do and say some things Evan Katz and the others (unfortunately) didn't think of. The song belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman.  
  
Summary: Nick and Kate are trapped in a cave. The entrance is blocked, it's freezing cold, Kate is injured, and nobody knows they're there. Told from Nick's point of view.  
  
Now the story!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Last Hour  
  
10:37 pm  
  
I am sitting in the far corner of this stupid cave, still unwilling to admit that Kate and I will most likely have to spend the night here. I can't believe that no one kept track of us while we were out, chasing this Link.  
  
Oh, I remember. it was my own fault. I didn't tell anyone.  
  
Well, but at least we managed to track down the Link and blow his ugly, slimy head into the stratosphere. Although I would have preferred a nice load of red ammo right into his just as ugly, slimy belly. It would have been a better explosion.  
  
But, thinking it over, I reckon this explosion has been big enough. At least it was big enough to make the entrance cave in. It's blocked, and Kate and I are trapped in this cold, uncomfortable, way-too-small excuse for a cave.  
  
Speaking of Kate, she has been unusually silent for the last thirty minutes. As a matter of fact, the last thing I heard her say was a rather un-Kateish rude word when the stones came thundering from the ceiling like an avalanche, blocking the way out. A whole series of rude words, to be exact. Who would have thought that she was even capable of swearing?  
  
I'd better go over to her and check if she's OK. I suppose she is, though; after all, she would have told me if something was wrong.  
  
At least I think she would have.  
  
I get up and walk over to Kate, who is sitting on the floor, leaning against the hard, stony wall. She has her legs drawn up close to her body and her head is resting on her knees. Her blonde hair is falling like a curtain over the side of her face. As I move closer - slowly, because I don't wanna step into the remains of the Link, which are scattered all over the floor; gross! - she looks up at me and gives a faint smile. She has a deep scratch on her forehead and some minor ones on her cheeks, but all in all she looks intact. I feel relieved.  
  
I sit down beside her. For a few minutes we only sit there, staring at this mess of blood and guts and some slimy Link fluid I don't wanna describe in more detail.  
  
"What are you thinking?" she suddenly asks. I look up, a little startled. She doesn't look at me; her eyes are fixed on some point in front of her.  
  
I rack my brains for some sort of joke - which is what she expects, I suppose - but, strangely enough, I can't think of any. So I settle for a sigh.  
  
"I was just thinking that I would even be glad to see Carl right now," I reply. "Maybe I'd even refrain from beating him up."  
  
"You must have lost much of your hope to say something like that," Kate says wryly.  
  
In fact, I'm not that hopeless. But it was the best joke I could think of.  
  
"So what about you?" I ask. "Aren't you pissed because you gotta spend the night in a stinking cave together with your mad partner when you could be out instead, on a date or whatever?"  
  
Kate sneers. "You know very well that I don't have any dates at the moment, Nick O'Malley," she says, and there's an edge in her voice that makes me stop teasing her immediately. OK, it wasn't a good tease, anyway. But I notice with some surprise that she didn't react to the "mad partner".  
  
"Well, at least there's one Link less in the world," I say. I mean it in the perfectly normal sense, the undertone saying, 'Well done, the two of us!' But Kate looks at me and her blue eyes are blazing.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks, and the edge in her voice is still there, even stronger than before.  
  
I am confused. Now why is she reacting like that? It was a perfectly normal statement! Well, at least for an SU2-Agent. I don't know what she means, and I say it.  
  
"Weren't you referring to the fact that there have already been several Links who wanted to date me?" she snaps at me.  
  
I'm flabbergasted. I really didn't think of that. "No," I say. "I just wanted to refer to the fact that we managed to eliminate a pretty dangerous Link here. The remains of whom are covering this abode," I add with a gesture at the mess in front of us.  
  
A small, involuntary smile curls Kate's lips. Although she doesn't say it, I know that she believes me. She knows I never make fun of her in order to hurt her. She knows she's the best friend I have.  
  
What she doesn't know is that I've been thinking a lot about us recently. I'm no longer sure if the feelings I have are feelings a friend should have for his best bud. Whenever I look at her beautiful face, at her silky hair, at her warm smile, I feel a strange sensation. A shudder runs down my back, and sometimes I find myself feeling the urge to touch her. No, not what you're thinking! (Well, it's not that I would resent that.) What I want is take her in my arms and hold her close, stroke her hair and place a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead. It's completely different to what I normally feel when I see an attractive woman.  
  
Tenderness. Affection. The urge to protect her against everything that may harm her.  
  
But as far as this is concerned, I already failed. I can't count the times she has been in danger, be it because of a Link who threatened to break her neck or a man who threatened to break her heart. And I can't count the times I haven't been there to protect her. 


	2. 11:13 pm

11:13 pm  
  
We have been sitting here for more than twenty minutes without talking. Kate has lain her head down on her knees once more; her face is turned towards me, but her eyes are closed. I wonder if she has fallen asleep. I could never think of sleeping in this uncomfortable place. But I see that she needs some rest.  
  
She doesn't look healthy. Since her eyes are closed, I can watch her without having to watch out that she doesn't notice. I carefully examine her face. There are large shadows under her eyes. Her skin is very pale, and tiny drops of perspiration run down her forehead. That worries me a little, for it's freaking cold in here. If she perspires, that means that she's either still exhausted from the fight (which I don't think; Kate is in excellent form, and the fight was more than an hour ago) or that she's feverish. And that's what worries me. We're out in the middle of nowhere here, and our cell phones don't work. No one's gonna find us until tomorrow.  
  
I look at her a moment more, then I decide to risk it.  
  
"Kate?" I ask softly. "Are you still with me?"  
  
She gives a silent moan and slowly opens her eyes. She needs a moment to fix her eyes on me, and my concern for her grows. Her eyes look hazy. She's quite obviously very tired. No, more than tired - she's hovering on the edge of unconsciousness.  
  
"Kate, what's wrong?" I cannot quite ban the concern from my voice, and of course Kate notices. She gives me another of those faint smiles.  
  
"Well." she finally says, her voice quiet and a little hoarse, "there's something I haven't told you yet."  
  
I look at her, but I don't speak. I'm racking my brains, trying to figure out what this might be. Has it something to do with her current condition, or is there something else she has been carrying around for hours, waiting for the right moment to tell me?  
  
"Remember when we shot the Link, Nick?" she continues.  
  
I nod. "How could I forget?" I say, forcing me into a grin. "You know how I love blasting those creatures into atoms."  
  
"Well, yeah," Kate says. She draws a deep breath and sits up straight. She grimaces, as if it hurts. "You were busy firing all your ammo into the Link, so you didn't see."  
  
"Didn't see what?" I turn fully to her. "Kate, what happened?" I don't feel like joking anymore.  
  
"You remember these spikes the Link was covered with?"  
  
"Sure I do."  
  
"Well, one of these spikes hit me. At first it didn't hurt at all, it didn't even bleed or anything. I just picked it off and threw it away." Kate shrugs and then draws in her breath sharply through her teeth.  
  
"But now. I don't know what happens, Nick, but the place where it hit me is burning like hell. And I feel dizzy, and hot and cold at the same time, as if I had the flu. Whenever I move, I feel as if I'm gonna faint."  
  
I feel a short but intense wave of fear rush over me. I reach out to take her by the shoulders, but she hastily backs away.  
  
"Don't!" she says.  
  
This one word makes me freeze. Although it's a completely different situation, I'm close to being devastated. I had so hoped that she would never ever say this to me when I'm about to touch her.  
  
Something must have been readable on my face, for Kate continues looking at me and smiles again. "Don't look at me like this, Nick," she says softly. "I just don't want that spot to be touched."  
  
"Where is it?" I finally think of asking this.  
  
"My shoulder," she says.  
  
"Let me see it," I demand. "Maybe I can do something about it."  
  
"You can't," Kate says, and I'm surprised at the determination in her voice.  
  
"Let me see it," I repeat.  
  
She throws me a glance which I cannot quite figure out, but she obliges. She carefully slides off the leather jacket she is wearing, revealing a tight white cotton pullover with a tiny whole in it on her shoulder. I see at a glance that there's no blood on the pullover and I'm starting to relax a little. Maybe she actually does have the flu, and the spike doesn't have anything to do with it. But then I see the unnatural form of her shoulder. It seems to be bigger than the other one. It takes me a moment to realize that it's swollen.  
  
"Can you." I don't quite know how to put it, but she understands what I mean.  
  
"It's freaking cold in here," she says, "so please be quick about it, will you?"  
  
Then she pulls the pullover over her head. Under it, she's wearing a black tank top. Under different circumstances I would probably be a little distracted by the view, but now I can only gasp.  
  
Her shoulder is swollen to almost twice its usual size. It looks like a horrible bruise, all blue and green. It must hurt terribly.  
  
I hear Kate gasp beside me and remember that she also sees it for the first time.  
  
"My goodness," she whispers.  
  
I bend carefully over her shoulder and examine it more closely. I find the tiny little spot that's nearly black, where the spike has hit her.  
  
"Kate, that's. that's." I'm at a loss for words.  
  
Kate arches an eyebrow at me. "Gross?" she suggests. "Disgusting? Awful?" Her tone is strangely aggressive.  
  
"Dangerous, I was gonna say," I reply. "You should see a doctor as soon as possible."  
  
"Great, O'Malley," she hisses. "You happen to have one in your pocket?"  
  
I'm slightly taken aback by her aggressiveness. But then I look in her eyes, and I can see the fear in them. Despite her apparent nonchalance, Kate is scared to death.  
  
"Maybe we should cool it," I say calmly. "It's the only thing we can do here."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's extremely cold," Kate says through clenched teeth. She already starts shivering, and there's gooseflesh showing on her arms.  
  
"You should put on your pullover again," I say. "We'll find something, don't worry."  
  
Kate looks at me and I can read her thoughts in her eyes. Find something, Nick. Please find it soon. 


	3. 11:59 pm

11:59 pm  
  
Kate puts on her pullover and her leather jacket and then wraps her arms around her body. She is shivering and her teeth clatter silently. I don't know what to do. A part of me wants to take her in my arms and pull her close, try to warm her and offer her some comfort. But another part of me simply chickens out. What if she pushes me away? What if my touch hurts even more? What if.  
  
"Nick?" she says suddenly, and I realize that we have been silent again for quite a long time.  
  
I turn to her. "Yes?"  
  
"It's almost midnight," she says. "I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. But I." She trails off.  
  
As if in a dream, I watch myself reach out a hand and put it lightly on her knee. She winces at the touch; only for a moment, but I don't know why. Her knee is not hurt. Is it so horrible to be touched by me? I wonder.  
  
"You don't have to be afraid," I say softly. "I'll watch over you."  
  
She offers me another smile, but this time it crackles from her lips as her mouth twitches shortly. She quickly presses her lips tightly together, but as I look into her eyes I see that she's on the verge of tears.  
  
The sight of my Kate almost crying hurts me more than any Link could ever do, and I find myself reaching over to her and take her hand into mine. Her fingers are like icicles. I take her other hand as well, keep them both between my own two hands, then I lift them up and press them to my chest in order to warm them.  
  
I can see that something is going on inside Kate. Different emotions flicker through her eyes.  
  
"Nick." she whispers hoarsely, and then her fear takes over. She flings herself forward against me, and I can barely prevent myself from falling over. When she clasps her arms around me, my heart starts to race. I can feel it thumping hard in my throat. Kate gives a stifled moan against my chest, probably because her shoulder hurts so much, and I try to avoid this part of her body when I finally manage to put my own arms around her.  
  
I hold her tight against my chest and I feel her body twitch with sobs she's trying to suppress. I struggle for words, but I can't think of anything. So I simply pull her closer, put my head down on her silky hair and cradle her in my arms.  
  
"It's alright, Kate, it's alright," I'm murmuring.  
  
When her sobs finally subside, Kate reluctantly lifts her head from my chest. She avoids my gaze, but still I can see that her face is very pale but her cheeks are flushed and that her eyes look blank.  
  
"It's getting worse, isn't it?" I ask tentatively.  
  
Kate nods, still without looking at me. "I can't see clearly anymore," she tells me, her hoarse voice barely audible. "Everything is just a blur. My head is spinning and that wound is throbbing. I have the feeling that my heart beats slower." Kate stops and finally looks at me. Her eyes seem unsteady. "Nick, am I dying?" she whispers.  
  
"Dying?" I am so shocked that I can only dully repeat what she has just said. This thought has never once even crossed my mind. that one of us could be lethally wounded on duty.  
  
My Kate. dying? 


	4. 12:30 am

12:30 am  
  
Kate's words suddenly hit me with all their might. She fears she is going to die. My Kate is actually afraid she might die! I shake my head vehemently. I'm not losing her! This is not going to happen again.  
  
I moan under my breath. Suddenly I'm panicked as well, and I clasp my arms around Kate once again, pulling her almost brutally into an embrace. Kate winces as I touch her shoulder, but I'm too emotional to care.  
  
"You're not dying!" I shout. "Kate Benson, you're not dying, you hear? Never say that again!"  
  
My voice is only an inch from cracking, and I struggle to regain control over my feelings. But they just spill out of me before I can do anything about it.  
  
"I'm not going to lose you," I roar. "Kate, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE YOU!"  
  
And I pull her close, bury my face in her other shoulder and refuse to loosen my grip by the slightest bit.  
  
Kate doesn't say anything, but I can feel her racing heart next to mine. And then, slowly, her arms reach up around my neck. Kate pulls me closer and runs her fingers through my hair. I feel a shudder run down my spine.  
  
"Kate, I couldn't bear to lose you," I murmur against her neck. "I need you."  
  
I lift my face from her shoulder and slowly straighten up again. My momentary panic attack is over. Kate is not going to die. She is going to stay with me. There's so much to be said. so much she still needs to know.  
  
Kate has started shivering again. Her lips are turning blue and she has difficulty to speak.  
  
"Nick, I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to shock you like this. I was just afraid. I still am."  
  
I can see that her condition gets worse and worse. This spike must have been poisoned.  
  
"Hush," I say and softly touch the side of her beautiful face. "I won't let you die. I'll warm you."  
  
She nods faintly and murmurs something. I'm not quite sure, but it could have been "Hold me, Nick."  
  
As carefully as I can, I pull her onto my lap, place her head on my shoulder so that her face rests against my neck, and hold her body against mine. My arms slide under her leather jacket in order to get her still closer. Her only reaction consists of a low, silent moan, and she moves her head closer to my neck. I feel another shudder as I feel her lips brush the side of my neck. She tries to reach my ear, I realize. She wants to tell me something.  
  
"What, Kate?" I ask softly while I'm stroking her back.  
  
I can feel her breath on my neck. The shudder extends to my stomach, and it makes my hands tremble.  
  
When she finally starts speaking, her voice is low and husky and barely audible. "I hope this is not the last hour of my life," says Kate, "but if it is, I'm glad that you're with me, Nick." And then she places a gentle kiss next to my ear, slowly, deliberately. "I love you, Nick O'Malley," she whispers as her head falls back down on my shoulder.  
  
My heart is racing and my ears are ringing. I hope this was not a dream. I hope this really happened.  
  
"Kate." I whisper helplessly, again at a loss for words. "Don't faint now, Kate. Stay with me! Stay with me, love."  
  
I've done it. I have uttered that one word that determines my fate. I've admitted that I love her. And she loves me, too. Please God, don't let it be too late.  
  
"Kate, love, wake up," I implore her. "Come back!"  
  
Her eyelids flutter and then she opens her eyes. "I'm still with you, Nick," she says. "Is it true?"  
  
She doesn't need to explain what she means. I can't keep tears from filling my eyes as I shift her position so that I can bend down and softly touch her cold lips. They are rough and dry, but they're the sweetest thing I have ever tasted. I close my eyes and stay there for a moment. Kate doesn't react, and I'm starting to fear that she's passed out. or worse, that I did imagine her words and that she's about to push me away. But then her lips part under mine, only a little, and she allows the kiss to deepen. Neither of us makes it a passionate French kiss, but still it is the most intense and emotional kiss I have ever given or received. When our lips finally part, Kate is out of breath, but she smiles.  
  
"I love you, Nick," she whispers again as she clasps her arms around my neck and pulls me close once more. "I've loved you for so long." 


	5. Some Time am

_Some time a.m.  
_  
I cannot tell how long Kate and I have just been sitting here, holding each other, telling one another over and over again how much we loved each other. Now that it's finally out, we feel as if we could stay in this miserable cave forever and a day. But finally we can hardly keep our eyes open. Kate's fever is still burning, and she has been half awake and half asleep in my arms for the past few minutes.

I finally give a sigh and straighten. Kate is leaning against my chest, cuddling in my arms. Her voice is now only a hoarse whisper, but she smiles at me through half-closed eyes.

"Nick, I think I really gotta sleep now," she says. "Will you sing to me?"

I think I've misheard her. "Sing?" I repeat dully.

Kate smiles again. "Yeah, sing. Some song. Any song that comes to your mind. I'd love it."

I feel my face blush. "But why." I start, but she interrupts me.

"Please, Nick, just do it."

"Okay." I shift my position, so that Kate's head is now comfortably resting in my lap. I stroke her hair while I'm racking my brains for some suitable song.

"Nick?" Kate murmurs.

"I'm here, honey," I say softly. "I'm just thinking of a song."

And I'm thinking of tomorrow. When they're finally going to find us. I know they will. I bet that Jonathan is already missing us. And Carl can find us in two hours' time if he really tries. I'm not worried about that. And I'm no longer worried that Kate might die, either. She won't, for now we have finally found each other. And she'll certainly want to get well as soon as possible, so that we can finally do something about these feelings of ours.

I bend over her and place a soft kiss on her cheek, right next to her ear.

Then I start to sing:

_ Whistle down the wind_

Let your voices carry

Drown out all the rain

Light a patch of darkness

Treacherous and scary

Howl at the stars

Whisper when you're sleeping

I'll be there to hold you

I'll be there to stop

The chills and all the weeping

Make it clear and strong

So the whole night long

Every signal that you send

Until the very end

I will not abandon you

My precious friend

So try and stem the tide

Then you'll raise a banner

Send a flare up in the sky

Try to burn a torch

And try to build a bonfire

Every signal that you send

Until the very end

I'm there

So whistle down the wind

For I have always been

Right there

I hear her breath go evenly as she drifts off into sleep. I remain where I am, sitting upright, leaning against the wall, and watch over her sleep.

Until the very end, Kate, I'm there.

And I have always been.

** + The End +  
**  
_End Note: Well, that's it. I hope you 'shippers liked it. All reviews welcome._

And to the author of "Fall Into Me" - I honestly vow that I did NOT copy from your story. Really; the idea of Nick singing to Kate came to me in a flash even before I had discovered your story. It's funny how similar our stories are (though I like yours better than mine; it has a real plot.)

Cheers and a Happy New Year 2004!

_Pearl_


End file.
